Consumer Protection British Columbia

Consumer Protection BC was established to strengthen consumer protection in British Columbia and has assumed the consumer protection activities previously performed by the BC Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General. As an independent authority, Consumer Protection BC has greater flexibility to respond quickly to changing business environments.

Who gets to decide on after-death care?

Disposition of the deceased or after-death care of a loved one is an often emotional and stressful situation often with a sense of urgency to provide a respectful good-bye to a family's loved one.

By law, the deceased must be buried or cremated. The planning of a funeral arrangement will involve a variety of funeral service professionals. It's important to know the rules around preparing for the funeral.

Families and funeral service staff are required to follow Section 5 of the Cremation, Interment and Funeral Services Act in deciding who gets to make those important decisions regarding the care of a loved one after their death. This section of the Act sets out the order of priority for those who will make those decisions regarding funeral arrangements and whether burial or cremation will occur.

Complaint handling

To ensure accountability and to allow the complaint handling process to be made public, Consumer Protection BC has established complaint handling policies and procedures. They apply to complaints from members of the public or businesses regulated by the Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act, and the Cremation, Interment and Funeral Services Act, regarding the manner in which Consumer Protection BC administers the legislation delegated to it. To download a copy of the complaint handling policies and procedures, please click here.

Administrative fee

In 2005 a new administrative fee was introduced as part of the overall funeral provider licensing fees. Consumer Protection BC produced an informational brochure for use by BC funeral providers when making arrangements with families. To obtain an online version of this brochure, please click here.

For funeral providers

Advisory group

The Board of Consumer Protection BC has established an advisory group for the cremation, interment and funeral services industry. The group is comprised of volunteers representing both industry and consumer interests. The purpose of this group is to identify consumer and industry-related issues and potential solutions for consideration by Consumer Protection BC. The group provides feedback on any matters put forward by Consumer Protection BC for consideration. The BC Funeral Association liaises with the advisory group. If you have a concern you would like brought forward, please contact the BC Funeral Association at 1-800-665-3899 or info@bcfunerals.com

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